Mosaic Tile Calculator

Calculate how much tile you will need.

How much tile do you need? You'll know in just 4 quick steps . . .

Measure the dimensions of the surface you would like to mosaic and calculate the area using the formulas from elementary school:

RECTANGLE AREA = length x width

TRIANGLE AREA = 1/2 x width x height

CIRCLE AREA = 0.785 x diameter x diameter

Keep in mind that 1 ft2 is 144 in2. If you get your answer in square inches, just divide by 144 to get the answer in square feet.

2. Look Up An Estimate

Now look up an estimate of the number of mosaic tiles you need based on square footage. These estimates assume a grout spacing of 1/16" between the tiles. Remember that 1 ft2 is 144 in2 . The first three columns refer to mosaic marble stone of different types. The forth column refers to 3/4" glass mosaic tile.

number 3/8" stones

number 9/16" stones

number 3/8" tiles

number 3/4" tile

sheets iridescent tile

1 ft2

752

369

752

218

10

2 ft2

1505

737

1505

436

20

3 ft2

2257

1106

2257

654

31

4 ft2

3009

1475

3009

873

41

5 ft2

3762

1843

3762

1091

51

6 ft2

4514

2212

4514

1309

61

7 ft2

5266

2580

5266

1527

72

8 ft2

6019

2949

6019

1745

82

9 ft2

6771

3318

6771

1963

92

10 ft2

7523

3686

7523

2181

102

3. Are You Cutting the Tiles?

Cutting a mosaic tile in pieces theoretically decreases the amount of tile you need. How is this so? You will have more pieces, so there will be more grout lines in the mosaic. More grout lines means more grout and less mosaic tile. The effect can be significant. For example, it requires 218 of the 3/4" glass mosaic tiles to cover 1 square foot with a grout spacing of about 1/16 inch, but if you cut the tiles into pieces, you might only need 200 tiles. On the other hand, people who cut tile probably should budget a little extra as waste. That's why we use 218 per square foot as a rule of thumb for 3/4" mosaic tile.

4. Consider the Spacing Between Tiles

Tile coverage is determined as much by the grout spacing between the tiles as it is by the area you are covering. All of the calculations in our tables assume a grout spacing of 1/16" between the mosaic tiles. This spacing is common with stone, ceramic and glass mosaic tile because it ensures enough grout will penetrate between the tiles and seal over the adhesive underneath. It also provides enough gap between the tiles to ensure that the tiles are visually distinct at a distance so that the mosaic does not look like one big piece. For advice about choosing a grout color, see our page of Mosaic Instructions.

Note that 3/4" glass mosaic tile sometimes comes face-mounted on paper so that the installer can glue the whole sheet to a wall and then peel the paper off the face of the tile and then grout. These sheets are made according to metric standards, so that the grout spacing is slightly larger than 1/16". Typically there are 225 tiles mounted on a sheet that is 1.15 square feet. Our metallic glass mosaic tiles and swirled glass mosaic tiles are cut from such sheets. Most artists remove the tiles from the sheets before using, so this doesn't matter.

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